Supervisor race on June 3 ballot

May 6, 2014, 12:11PM

05/06/2014

Persistent drought, pension reform and much needed road fixes are just a few of the issues looming over the Board of Supervisors' Second District race between incumbent David Rabbitt and challenger John King.

Finishing up his first term, Rabbitt is the only supervisor in 59 years to serve two consecutive terms as board chair. Rabbitt said he is proud of his fiscal accomplishments thus far, and is looking forward to continuing long-term policy that is improving the health of the county.

King, an organic silage producer living in Penngrove, is passionate about issues of water access. King said he felt compelled to run due what he sees as the mismanagement of the county's water supply.

Water Exports

King is perhaps best known for his lawsuit against Rohnert Park, which forced the city to change how it allocates well water.

If elected, King said his goal is to stop the county from selling water to Marin County, which he said would free up billions of gallons for Sonoma County agriculture and residential use.

"The public doesn't understand that we're about to increase water exports, when we don't have enough water for people here," King said.

Rabbitt countered that the North Marin Water District is one of 10 contractors for the Sonoma County Water Agency, and "they have as much right to the water as any other entity."

"Water districts don't just stop and start at county lines," Rabbitt said. "If that were true, we would be worse off if Mendocino County said the same thing and cut off the water coming down from Lake Mendocino – all of the cities in the north end of the county wouldn't have any water. So it's kind of a kneejerk reaction to say that somehow the farmers would have water if it didn't go down to North Marin."

Pension Reform

One of the biggest issues facing the district during his first term was the budget deficit. Since taking office, Rabbitt said sweeping changes and reform, including a complete pension overhaul, have led to a forecast of budget surpluses over the next five years.

Since his first term as supervisor, Rabbitt said the board's goal was to concentrate on pension reform by cutting county costs in half over a span of 10 years. He said the county is still in line with that goal, with about $170 million in savings to date and annual county contributions reduced by $4.5 million each year going forward.

Rabbitt said pension savings and a reduced overall compensation level were achieved following a year of anxiety-ridden, yet successful, labor negotiations and concessions bargaining.

"I know of no other county that basically bargained for reducing compensation across the board that did not go to impasse," Rabbitt said.

King said if elected, his first act toward pension reform would be cutting his own salary in half and paying for his own benefits.

"It's up to me to set aside, save and take care of myself," King said. "It is no one else's obligation."

Road Fixes

With 1,400 miles of county roads, which have been rated some of the worst in the Bay Area, Rabbitt said paving and repairing streets is a major priority for the district, as well as the completion of the Highway 101 widening through Petaluma.

Rabbitt said 100 miles of roads were paved in the last two years, and his goal is to guarantee that the same progress can be made each year going forward. That funding mechanism, he said, could be a new sales tax or the extension of the county's existing Measure M transportation sales tax.

"It's frustrating, the amount of time it's taken to get there; I understand that," Rabbitt said. "If Measure M was a half cent, we'd probably be done by now, and maybe some of our local streets would be at a better quality too."

Rabbitt said the county's strategy now is about "cobbling together money from lots of different sources and leveraging it."

King said he would rely solely on extending the Measure M sales tax to fund future county roadwork. He said he would be more transparent about how taxpayers' money is used for road repairs.

With an uncertainty still looming over whether the Dry Creek Pomo will build a casino on their land south of Petaluma, Rabbitt said continuing communication with the tribe is key to "maintaining some control over our own destiny."

Rabbitt said he is against another casino development, and he's currently participating in discussions with the tribe's chairman, Harvey Hopkins, about the land's future.

King is also against a casino coming in south of Petaluma, but for reasons pertaining to groundwater supply.

"The nature of the casino is not the issue," King said. "The issue is an entity being able to set up shop on top of a basin that's in overdraft. If the county went into federally mandated water rationing, they're exempt."

Transparency and Communication

Like his campaign signs read, King said he has "had enough" of Rabbitt's lack of transparency and communication. He wants to improve the dialogue between cities and the county.

Rabbitt countered that he has never seen King participate in the meetings of any county commission or other governing bodies.

"You need to engage if you want to criticize transparency," Rabbitt said.

King said county officials fail to go out into the public on a regular basis. If elected, he said he would make it a point to visit each community in the district at least once a month to update residents on projects coming before the board.

"I've made a point to have quarterly updates to the councils and communicate to the councils what's happening at the county level that affects the city and vice versa," Rabbitt said, responding to Kings remarks. "I think I'm the first supervisor to do that."

King said his agricultural background and 100-year-plus roots in Sonoma County give him an advantage when it comes to understanding land use, farming practices and the importance of groundwater access.

"David Rabbitt is a city boy, and he lacks the knowledge and the passion to properly represent rural second district," King said. "Agriculture once was king, and it's been kicked to the curb by our supervisors."

Rabbitt said agriculture is of major significance in Sonoma County and he plans to continue working with producers to ensure they have the tools and support needed to thrive here.

Persistent drought, pension reform and much needed road fixes are just a few of the issues looming over the Board of Supervisors' Second District race between incumbent David Rabbitt and challenger John King.

Finishing up his first term, Rabbitt is the only supervisor in 59 years to serve two consecutive terms as board chair. Rabbitt said he is proud of his fiscal accomplishments thus far, and is looking forward to continuing long-term policy that is improving the health of the county.

King, an organic silage producer living in Penngrove, is passionate about issues of water access. King said he felt compelled to run due what he sees as the mismanagement of the county's water supply.

Water Exports

King is perhaps best known for his lawsuit against Rohnert Park, which forced the city to change how it allocates well water.

If elected, King said his goal is to stop the county from selling water to Marin County, which he said would free up billions of gallons for Sonoma County agriculture and residential use.

"The public doesn't understand that we're about to increase water exports, when we don't have enough water for people here," King said.

Rabbitt countered that the North Marin Water District is one of 10 contractors for the Sonoma County Water Agency, and "they have as much right to the water as any other entity."

"Water districts don't just stop and start at county lines," Rabbitt said. "If that were true, we would be worse off if Mendocino County said the same thing and cut off the water coming down from Lake Mendocino – all of the cities in the north end of the county wouldn't have any water. So it's kind of a kneejerk reaction to say that somehow the farmers would have water if it didn't go down to North Marin."

Pension Reform

One of the biggest issues facing the district during his first term was the budget deficit. Since taking office, Rabbitt said sweeping changes and reform, including a complete pension overhaul, have led to a forecast of budget surpluses over the next five years.

Since his first term as supervisor, Rabbitt said the board's goal was to concentrate on pension reform by cutting county costs in half over a span of 10 years. He said the county is still in line with that goal, with about $170 million in savings to date and annual county contributions reduced by $4.5 million each year going forward.

Rabbitt said pension savings and a reduced overall compensation level were achieved following a year of anxiety-ridden, yet successful, labor negotiations and concessions bargaining.

"I know of no other county that basically bargained for reducing compensation across the board that did not go to impasse," Rabbitt said.

King said if elected, his first act toward pension reform would be cutting his own salary in half and paying for his own benefits.

"It's up to me to set aside, save and take care of myself," King said. "It is no one else's obligation."

Road Fixes

With 1,400 miles of county roads, which have been rated some of the worst in the Bay Area, Rabbitt said paving and repairing streets is a major priority for the district, as well as the completion of the Highway 101 widening through Petaluma.

Rabbitt said 100 miles of roads were paved in the last two years, and his goal is to guarantee that the same progress can be made each year going forward. That funding mechanism, he said, could be a new sales tax or the extension of the county's existing Measure M transportation sales tax.

"It's frustrating, the amount of time it's taken to get there; I understand that," Rabbitt said. "If Measure M was a half cent, we'd probably be done by now, and maybe some of our local streets would be at a better quality too."

Rabbitt said the county's strategy now is about "cobbling together money from lots of different sources and leveraging it."

King said he would rely solely on extending the Measure M sales tax to fund future county roadwork. He said he would be more transparent about how taxpayers' money is used for road repairs.

Tribal Land

With an uncertainty still looming over whether the Dry Creek Pomo will build a casino on their land south of Petaluma, Rabbitt said continuing communication with the tribe is key to "maintaining some control over our own destiny."

Rabbitt said he is against another casino development, and he's currently participating in discussions with the tribe's chairman, Harvey Hopkins, about the land's future.

King is also against a casino coming in south of Petaluma, but for reasons pertaining to groundwater supply.

"The nature of the casino is not the issue," King said. "The issue is an entity being able to set up shop on top of a basin that's in overdraft. If the county went into federally mandated water rationing, they're exempt."

Transparency and Communication

Like his campaign signs read, King said he has "had enough" of Rabbitt's lack of transparency and communication. He wants to improve the dialogue between cities and the county.

Rabbitt countered that he has never seen King participate in the meetings of any county commission or other governing bodies.

"You need to engage if you want to criticize transparency," Rabbitt said.

King said county officials fail to go out into the public on a regular basis. If elected, he said he would make it a point to visit each community in the district at least once a month to update residents on projects coming before the board.

"I've made a point to have quarterly updates to the councils and communicate to the councils what's happening at the county level that affects the city and vice versa," Rabbitt said, responding to Kings remarks. "I think I'm the first supervisor to do that."

King said his agricultural background and 100-year-plus roots in Sonoma County give him an advantage when it comes to understanding land use, farming practices and the importance of groundwater access.

"David Rabbitt is a city boy, and he lacks the knowledge and the passion to properly represent rural second district," King said. "Agriculture once was king, and it's been kicked to the curb by our supervisors."

Rabbitt said agriculture is of major significance in Sonoma County and he plans to continue working with producers to ensure they have the tools and support needed to thrive here.